Blossoming
by Miazaki-san
Summary: At first, there was a mutual wall between them. He didn't talk to her, and she didn't talk to him. Leo figured it was better that way, since they were polar opposites. But, everything change the day Sakura broke through the wall and ended the silence between them.
**A/N: Here is my Leo/Sakura fic! Love the two of them together! And special thanks to ducksketches and kashimalin on tumblr for inspiring/helping me! And the cover art was a commission by youjustgotanimated on tumblr!**

* * *

Leo didn't think much of her when they first met. She always stood off to the side, hiding behind her siblings and avoiding all eye contact. She was around the same age as Elise-maybe a year or two older-and like his younger sister, she was also a healer. She was much shorter than him, her head only reaching his chest. Leo figured that must be intimidating to her, since she avoided him like the plague. As for her appearance, she had short, dark pink hair, a frail physique, maroon doe eyes, and dressed like a typical shrine maiden.

In short, Princess Sakura appeared as delicate as the flower she was named after.

Thus, Prince Leo didn't find any merit in associating with her. He wasn't cruel to her of course; Kamui and the Hoshidans would have his head. But since they were such polar opposites, he didn't see a reason to seek her out. And Sakura apparently thought the same.

That was….until the day she approached him.

* * *

Early one morning, Leo was heading towards the astral fortress' council chamber when a soft voice rang out from behind him.

"Oh, h-hello, Prince Leo," He turned around to see Sakura scurrying up to him, actually looking him in the eye for once. "Are you heading to today's war council meeting?"

"Yes I am." He replied, a tad surprised by the girl's unusual behavior. "Will you be joining us?"

"No, I…I wouldn't be of any help." She replied meekly, shying away from Leo's imposing stance and gaze. "I hate discussing how to defeat people…."

"I see." Leo's gaze hardened, folding his arms behind his back. "So we are all getting together to do something you hate."

"I'm s-sorry." She whispered, wringing the edge of her skirt in her hands as she bowed her head. "I didn't mean it like that."

"It's true though, despite how you meant it." Leo sighed, finding his assumptions about her to be true. Princess Sakura truly didn't belong on the battlefield. Harsh as it may seem, she didn't have the makings of a soldier. And so he told her just that, noting how tears were building in her eyes. But it was the truth. The war council was important for devising strategies and deciding how to best their enemies. Why should he subject her to something she hated?

Leo watched her retreating form with an impassive gaze, wondering what prompted Sakura to ask him such a thing. Finding no logical solution, the young prince just shrugged and continued on his way.

* * *

Since the confrontation in the hallway, Leo and Sakura continued on their different paths as if nothing had happened. A part of Leo was still curious about why she suddenly approached him, and he was tempted to ask her. Yet, Leo didn't want to cause Sakura any grief so he let her be. And, Leo knew if he upset Sakura, that insufferable pineapple would hunt him down.

So a week passed before it was time for another war meeting and Leo found himself once again walking towards the council chamber when Sakura called out to him.

"Prince Leo, m-may I have a word?" She hurried up to him, this time with her staff in hand.

"Hello, Princess Sakura. What can I do for you?" He looked down at her, waiting for her to continue.

"Are you having another meeting of the war council? If so…" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before staring him dead in the eye. "I'd like to j-join you."

Her declaration took him off guard, and he nearly stumbled back in surprise.

"You? In the war council?"

"Yes…If th-that's okay."

Leo tried to make sense of this vexing girl. One moment she is saying how much she hates violence, and the next she is asking to take part in the planning. Why would she purposely put herself in agony?

It didn't make sense.

"Even if you do take part, it will just cause you undue suffering." Leo explained, feeling exhausted just looking at her now. "It would be best for you to put all of this out of your mind."

"But I need to know what is going on!" Sakura shouted, actually causing Leo to stumble back in shock.

"Wha-?"

"I-I may not like it, but the more I know, the better I can aid our troops after the battle ends."

Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in Leo's head and everything began to connect.

"Ah, so there it is." He mumbled, inspecting the girl in front of him. "Your aim is to help those who fall on the battlefield."

"If I know what injuries to expect, then I can be better prepared." She looked at him with such a serious expression that Leo could only stand in stunned silence. Here stood the girl he thought was too fragile for the battlefield, speaking her mind plain and true. And she didn't stutter even once.

Leo felt a smile forming across his face.

"I finally understand. Your logic is most sound." He bowed and gestured towards the chamber doors. "In that case, your presence would be much appreciated."

And just like that, her bashful expression returned and she bowed deeply, exclaiming a, "Th-thank you so much, Prince Leo" before hurrying inside.

But Leo lingered behind, watching her retreating form with an intrigued gaze.

Princess Sakura wasn't exactly how he thought her to be.

No….she was a lot more interesting.

* * *

Another battle came and gone, and this time Leo approached Sakura first, finding her organizing jars of herbs in the medic tent.

"Prince Leo!" She gasped, almost dropping the jar she was holding. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"I wanted to thank you for your participation in the war meeting, Princess Sakura." He smiled. "Thanks to you, efforts to help the injured in our last battle were greatly expedited."

"Thank you," She bowed deeply. "But…it wasn't just me. It was all of us working together."

Her humility was never failing, but that didn't mean she was weak. Leo realized that and averted his eyes before continuing.

"I urge you to accept my gratitude, as well as my apology." He began awkwardly, not used to apologizing. "I was wrong to say you weren't suited for the battlefield. You have proven yourself a capable warrior in your own right."

"Well I still don't like it. Hurting others and being hurt back and all that…I wish the war would just stop, but I can't just close my eyes and hope it passes!"

The strength in her tone made Leo in awe of her again.

"Princess Sakura….You're a strong lady. You clearly experience severe anxiety and fear, yet you never let it overcome you. Instead, you find something you can do and you do it with all your heart."

"T-Thank you, Prince Leo." She blushed, fiddling with the jar's lid. "That means a lot to me."

"I believe I will be relying on you more and more in the future, Princess Sakura." Leo gave a bow in respect. "You are truly a capable ally."

"Oh! T-Thank you!" Sakura smiled widely, causing Leo's breath to catch in his throat. "I think I'd like that…."

'She is pretty when she smiles.' Leo noted, immediately embarrassed by the very thought and quickly excused himself, leaving a curious Sakura in his wake.

* * *

Over the passing weeks, Leo found himself searching for Sakura both on and off the battlefield. Her dark pink hair always stood out among the other soldiers, making her very easy to spot. Now paying more attention to her, Leo discovered he had the young Hoshidan princess entirely wrong.

Even though she wasn't a fighter, she pulled her weight, spending all hours healing those who needed it. One time, while on a patrol, Leo came across Sakura staying up with Keaton, who had been injured in the last battle. She was folding paper cranes and hanging them above his cot, hoping to bring the ailing wolfskin some comfort. Sakura's warmth struck Leo to his core, and he didn't realize he was staring until Odin's theatrics snapped him out of his daze.

Sakura was also very strong willed. Despite her meekness, she wanted to protect her homeland alongside her siblings, so she took up archery. Prince Takumi was her teacher, and for an hour every day, they would go to the training grounds for lessons. Coincidentally, Leo's room overlooked the training grounds, giving him a perfect view. At first, he only glanced up occasionally from his studies, noting how many times she missed the targets. Yet Sakura never gave up, and gradually she began to improve. And the better Sakura became, the less time Leo spent studying. He found himself smiling alongside her when she made a target and muttering advice whenever she missed one. And on the day Sakura finally made seven bull-eyes in a row, Leo actually shot out of his chair and cheered for her. Unfortunately, his window was open and Leo felt like dying as Takumi and Sakura stared up at him. Takumi glared while Sakura beamed and waved, which he quickly returned before closing the window and combusting.

"What was I thinking?!" He covered his burning face, rocking back and forth on his heels. "I'm acting like such a fool!"

He collapsed back onto his desk with a groan, running a hand through his hair. Leo could see Sakura pulling the practice arrows out of the targets, smiling and doing a happy skip. The sight of her so pleased with herself brought a smile to his face, and he involuntarily placed a hand over his heart. It was beating rapidly like baby bird ready for flight.

'What is this feeling?'

* * *

Leo watched Sakura finish cleaning up and waited until she was out of sight before returning to his studies. Currently, he was reading a book on Hoshidan history and culture. Since they were working with the neighboring kingdom, it was only natural to learn about it. For a while, Leo scanned the pages, making notes in his tome from time to time. Eventually he reached the section about native plants, and without thinking, Leo began flipping the pages until he found a paragraph about sakura trees.

"In Hoshidan culture, the sakura blossom symbolizes humility and courage." He read aloud, smirking at how accurate that description was. "Compassionate beyond all reason, shy yet courageous, and a beautiful sight to behold." Leo glanced down at his notes, realizing that he had sketched a picture of Sakura. However, instead of tearing the page out, he smiled and ran the feather of his quill pen over the drawing. "The name suits you well."

"It does?" A voice spoke up from behind him, nearly sending Leo into cardiac arrest. At record speed, he slammed his tome shut and threw himself on top of it, panting heavily.

"How many times must I tell you to knock, Kamui?!" Leo glared at his older sister who held her hands up in surrender.

"I did knock! I even waited five minutes, but when you didn't answer, I got worried." She glanced at the tome he was sprawled over with a curious gaze. "Who were you talking about anyways?"

"I wasn't talking about anyone!"

"But I swear you said-."

"I said nothing!" He hissed, heart pounding his ears. "Why are you here anyways?"

"Oh!" Kamui clasped her hands together, her suspicion apparently forgotten. "Dinner is ready in the mess hall! We should hurry before everything is gone."

"Understood." Leo nodded, his heart returning to a normal pace. "I'll be right down then."

"Alright." Kamui turned and was about to walk out of the room when she spoke up again. "Y'know, you should ask them out, whoever you were talking about. It would be cute to see you go on a date."

Leo reached for Brynhildr with a deadly glare, and Kamui laughed and scurried away before her brother could curse her into oblivion.

"Such a handful." He grumbled under his breath, about to follow suit when he peeked back down at his tome. Flipping back to where he left off, he gazed at his drawing of Sakura, the picture paling in comparison to the real thing. His stomach flipped at the idea of spending an afternoon with Sakura, and he hated how excited he felt at the possibility.

With a heavy sigh, Leo closed the tome and exited the room, the gears turning in his head.

'….It was worth a shot, right?'

* * *

As luck would have it, Leo got his chance a few days later while patrolling the area. While inspecting the wheat field, he could hear a melody floating on the breeze and followed it to the source. The music led him to a private nook behind a tree where Sakura was playing the koto. He was mesmerized by how gracefully her fingers plucked the strings, playing a soothing melody to accompany the breezy day.

"You are quite talented." He praised as she finished her song, chuckling at how she jumped in surprise.

"Oh, Prince Leo! W-when did you get here?"

"Pardon me for eavesdropping, but I happened to be passing by when I heard you playing." He held a hand out, which she gratefully took, and pulled her to her feet. "You are very talented. I can see why Elise was so thrilled to perform with you."

"Ah, thank you!" She gave a quick bow. "I haven't been able to practice since the war started, so it was fun to play with someone else."

"I can bet." Leo remarked, realizing the golden opportunity presented to him. "Well, like my little sister, I can also play an instrument."

"Really?!" Sakura gasped, her expression of complete awe making Leo's chest swell with pride. "What is it?"

"It is called a lyre, a stringed instrument like your koto but smaller and with fewer strings." Feeling confident, Leo took a deep breath before continuing. "I would be honored to play alongside your koto. If you'd like to, of course."

"I'd love to!" Sakura grinned, her face flushed a light pink. "Um, we could meet here again this afternoon after lunch. Would that be fine?"

"Of course, Princess Sakura." He smiled and bowed. "I look forward to our duet."

And with that he took his leave, waiting until Sakura was out of sight before pumping his fist in the air and laughing like a complete fool.

Eye witnesses to this spectacle could only stare at each other in utter confusion as the 'ice cold' Nohrian Prince tore down the field towards the royal family's lodgings with a huge grin plastered across his face.

* * *

Leo arrived at the secluded area first, lyre in hand and dressed in his best tunic and trousers. He paced back and forth, butterflies in his stomach.

'Calm down!' He commanded himself, fixing his hair for the tenth time in the past two minutes. 'Getting worked up isn't going to help anyone!'

Fortunately, Sakura soon arrived with her koto, sparing Leo from worrying himself to death. However, as he turned to greet her, he almost dropped his lyre. This was the first time he'd seen her in anything else but her armor. She was wearing a beautiful white yukata with an orchid clip that perfectly complimented her hair.

"Prince Leo?" Sakura's gentle voice snapped him out his daze. "Are you…alright?"

"Y-Yes," He stuttered, trying to compose himself. "You look radiant this evening."

"T-t-thank you! And you look very handsome without your armor!" Her face was a dark cherry red, and she was clutching her koto in a death grip.

An awkward silence filled the air before Leo cleared his throat and gestured for Sakura to take a seat. He sat across from her, tuning his lyre and praying for his face to cool down. Peeking over at Sakura, he noticed she was doing the same and quickly averted his eyes.

"So," Sakura started, placing the long instrument on her lap. "What would you like to play?"

"How about that song you were playing earlier, it sounded familiar."

"It is a famous Hoshidan piece called "Shall I be with you?" Sakura put her fingers into position. "It tells the story of a two lovers on their wedding day. It has always been one of my favorites."

She began to play the song, and Leo quietly listened, trying to remember where he heard this song before.

Suddenly, a lightbulb went off.

"Now I remember." Leo interrupted, halting Sakura's movements. "It sounds like 'What should I do?'from the play, _You are Beautiful_. Father took us to see it in Cyrkensia once a few years ago."

"Really? That's interesting!" Sakura marveled. "It is nice that our kingdoms have some similarities."

"Well, I'm afraid the melody is the only similarity. _You are Beautiful_ is a tragic play, and this song is sung when the two lovers are separated."

"It has lyrics?"

"Yes…" Leo replied slowly, not liking the glow in Sakura's eyes. "….Would you like me to sing for you?"

"I-If it's not too much trouble!" Sakura blurted out, but Leo had seen the hope shining in her eyes and wasn't about to extinguish it.

"It's alright." He sighed, resting his lyre on his thigh. "Just start playing again then I'll join in."

Sakura nodded and started the song back up. He waited until he got the basic rhythm before strumming along. Then, after clearing his throat a few times, he sang in a low, soft voice.

 _When I let you go one step further, my eyes overflowed with tears_

 _When you walk one step further, more tears are falling_

 _When you went to a place where I can't reach you,_

 _Even if I reach out my hand_

 _I can't reach you, I can only cry_

Leo tried focus on singing instead of the awestruck expression Sakura had on her face. He was self-conscious about his singing voice, despite the many compliments he's received from his music tutor and siblings.

 _What should I do? What should I do?_

 _You're leaving_

 _What should I do? What should I do?_

 _You are leaving me_

 _I love you, I love you._

 _I cry out to you_

 _But you can't hear me because_

 _I am only shouting in my heart_

Leo was about to proceed to the next verse when he noticed Sakura was crying and immediately ceased all movement.

"Are you alright?" He gasped, wondering if he had upset her again. "Are you feeling ill?"

"No...I'm fine." She sniffled, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. "It's just…such a sad song, and you sing it so beautifully that I couldn't help it."

Leo was torn between glaring at her for scaring him or basking in her praise. Instead, he just sighed and reached out, wiping her tears away with his thumb.

"I'll take that as a compliment." He smirked, caressing her cheek with a feather-like touch.

And for a while, the two of them gazed into each other's eyes, their heartbeats in perfect sync. Then, with a trembling hand, Sakura ran her fingers through Leo's hair and gulped audibly before speaking up.

"You really are amazing, Prince Leo. You are smart, strong, brave, kind, and now, musically talented." Sakura looked him dead in the eye and Leo found himself frozen in place. "I… **really** admire you."

Leo didn't know how it happened. Once moment, he was wiping her tears away; the next, he was leaning over and kissing her. And Gods, did it feel heavenly. Sakura let out a small squeak, and Leo couldn't help but laugh at the adorable sound.

When he pulled away, Sakura immediately covered her face with her hands and let out another squeak.

"Forgive me for being so bold, Princess Sakura." Leo apologized, trying to clear the fireworks from his brain. "I'll take my leave if I've made you uncomfortable."

But, before he could even rise to his feet, Sakura grabbed his sleeve and bolted him in place.

"Wait! Don't go!" She pleaded, kneeling before him. "I was just surprised, that's all! Please…stay here."

Leo could do nothing but nod, thrilled she wasn't furious with him.

"Still," He vocalized, mindlessly strumming his lyre. "I kissed you without your permission, and for that, I apologize."

"Then…apology accepted, Prince Leo." She stared down at her hands for a moment before continuing in a quiet tone. "…It was nice though."

"What?!" He almost snapped one of the strings off. "What was nice?"

"The kiss, I mean." Sakura peered up at him with such an adorable smile that he swore his heart skipped a beat. "It was really nice."

Heat crept up his neck and he wanted nothing more than to kiss her again, but instead, Leo just re-tuned his lyre with shaking hands.

"Shall we continue?" He asked slowly, hoping his voice was cool and even. "We can perform the song you and Elise collaborated on."

"Sure!" She beamed, her face still red as a tomato.

Leo had to laugh at the comparison before focusing on the song, thinking how well their instruments blended together.

And so the rest of the afternoon continued that way, playing song after song and sharing shy smiles with the other. Sakura's retainers eventually came for her, claiming Lady Hinoka required her presence. Usually, Leo would return the cold glares they shot at him, but his body felt so warm that he couldn't find it in him to care. As Subaki and Hana led her away, Sakura kept glancing back at him with a grin that swirled around his mind as he sauntered back to the royal family's lodgings.

'This feeling….could it be..?'

* * *

Leo found his family in the drawing room: Xander was reading documents by the fireplace with Elise lounging at his feet, drawing pictures and humming a cheery tune, and Kamui was polishing her dragonstone while Camilla was embroidering something for Elise's birthday.

They all greeted him warmly, and he could see Kamui was dying to ask how the 'date' went but wanted him to bring it up first. Leo just ignored her inquisitive gaze and took a seat on the window bench, strumming his lyre while in deep thought. His lips were still tingling from the kiss, and he marveled at how soft her lips were. He thought about Sakura's radiant smile and how it made his heart flutter; how endearing her shyness was and how compassionate she was to everyone she met; how she worked hard to learn how to defend herself so she could support those dear to her on the battlefield, and how everything she did made Leo want to be with her always.

'This feeling…could it really be…?'

The answer hit Leo square in the face, and he bolted out of his seat, nearly scaring his siblings to death.

"Leo, what's wrong?!" Xander placed his papers aside, worry etched across his face.

"Aren't you alright, darling?" Camilla cooed, her motherly instincts coming out. "Elise, go fetch your staff please."

"No, no. I'm fine." Leo held a hand out, his mind still whirling around. "I just realized something."

"Well, what is it?" Kamui demanded, clutching her stone to her chest.

The Nohrian siblings waited with baited breath as Leo tried to composed himself.

"I think…." He trailed off before smiling widely and placing a hand over his heart. "I think I'm in love with Princess Sakura."

* * *

 **A/N: _You are Beautiful_ is actually a Korean drama and defiantly not written for the koto or lyre, but let's pretend! It was a purely self-indulgent move! And "Shall I be with you?" is made up, unless it actually exists! Lol. But listen to "What should I do?" It is really pretty! :D **


End file.
